Letters to the Editor

In the scheme of arbitrary 80th Street initiatives, the following item in the recent Bylaws amendments, which passed without discussion by the Board of Trustees on November 28, may not appear monumental – but it is a flagrant abuse of power and the accumulation of privilege and wealth. In Item No. 5, Art. 6, the Board created a new title of Chancellor Emeritus, allowing for the appointment of five years for a departing chancellor.

CUNY has designated departing chancellors as “chancellor emeritus” in the past. But those titles, like faculty emeritus positions, were honorary and unpaid. What is new in this Bylaw change is that, for the first time, “chancellor emeritus” is defined as a title that is part of CUNY’s Executive Compensation Plan. In other words, it will now be a salaried position.

This “golden parachute” is very inappropriate at a time when students are being asked to pay more and CUNY college campuses asked to accept austerity budgets. One can only imagine the salary for which Chancellor Goldstein may end up teaching a course or two per semester in Accounting 101 or Introduction to Statistics at Baruch. For such expenditures, several professors or multiple adjuncts could be appointed. Quite a clear statement to those in the 99%.